Nostalgia is a powerful feeling that transports us back to simpler times. For many of us, that means the experience of watching cable television. Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, we remember rushing home from school to catch our favorite shows, laughing at the same jokes as our friends and family, and enduring endless advertisements that somehow added to the charm of the experience.
But times have changed, and with the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, we’ve grown accustomed to watching our favorite shows and movies on demand, ad-free, and on any device we choose. However, as convenient as these new modes of consumption and technologies are, there’s still something we miss about the old days and ways of consuming content on traditional television. We miss the sense of community, the excitement of waiting for our favorite shows to air, and the anticipation of watching them together with family and friends.
But that’s where connected television comes in. Connected TVs, or CTVs, allow us to stream content from a variety of sources, including cable channels, streaming services, and even social media. They offer the convenience of streaming while still retaining the sense of community that comes with watching live TV.
In India, the growth of CTVs has been remarkable, with over 10 million users in 2022 and a predicted 40 million by 2025. It’s a testament to the power of this new technology and how it’s revolutionizing the way we consume entertainment.
For those who remember, there will always be a part of us that misses the old days of TV. The jingles, sound effects, and even the advertisements are nostalgic reminders of a time when watching the telly felt like coming home. Some of the most iconic ads from that era are still remembered fondly. The ‘Hema Rekha Jaya aur Sushma’ spot from Nirma, the Cadbury cricket ad, the Pepsi commercials celebrating new generations, the Amul ads, and the Zoozoos of Vodafone, are some timeless campaigns from the years gone by.
But as we embrace the future of connected television, we do so with the knowledge that we’re still part of a community, sharing the same experience and sense of belonging that made watching TV so special in the first place. And advertisers are taking notice, with Finecast-Group M reporting that CTV ad spends in India will have a CAGR of 47 percent between 2022 and 2027. They also estimate that advertisers will spend close to $86 million on CTV advertising in India in 2023 alone, with that number expected to reach $395 million by 2027.
Even while Cable TV manages to hold on to the nostalgia factor, connected TVs offer the best of both worlds.